Thirty-five years is a long time to be in business, and Highland Haven Creekside Inn achieved that landmark this year.

“It’s so nice to be in this community for so long,” said Gail Riley, who along with her husband, Tom Statzel, runs the bed-and-breakfast on the east end of downtown Evergreen. “We have all this history, and all of Evergreen has all this history with us.”

Riley said the secret to the inn’s success is reinvesting in the property so it never stagnates, and offering top-quality service.

Big R, a ranch and farm supply store, will move into the former Albertsons building in June, ending several years of speculation about what should be done with the empty shopping center.

The store will be in addition to its sister store in the Conifer King Soopers shopping center, which opened in 2011 and expanded earlier this year. Bobby Winstead, the Conifer Big R manager, will take that position in Evergreen. The new Conifer Big R manager will come from a store in Elizabeth.

The Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce presented several awards to those who serve the community and the organization during the annual Honoree Celebration at the Evergreen Elks Lodge on March 6.

“This was a special occasion for us because we would not be able to provide the level of services we do without the commitment and devotion of these generous people and organizations,” said Lin Browning, chamber president.

To help local businesses make vital connections, the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce has formed leads groups. Representatives from non-competing businesses network and become acquainted with each other during weekly meetings, which are held at various locations in Evergreen.

To create additional opportunities for those who would like participate, a new leads group has begun meeting on Friday mornings at HearthFire Books and Treats in Bergen Park.

Several businesses in Evergreen North will be playing musical chairs in the next several months.

The Evergreen Christian Outreach furniture resale shop will move into space that became vacant when the Kitchen and Bath Design Center closed. As EChO remodels the space and moves there incrementally, Artful Journey and Shipping Depot will move into the front of the former furniture shop. The entire move should be done by May.

It may sound a bit confusing, but it makes complete sense to the businesses.

Evergreen resident Eileen Sloan never dreamed she would invent a product that helps youngsters learn to tie their shoes.

The teacher-turned-entrepreneur has created EZLeaps, a plastic device and a seven-step process to help alleviate the frustration of shoe-tying for youngsters. Nordstrom stores are selling the product and teaching Sloan’s process during shoe-tying classes in its stores nationwide, and the devices are available at Twigs in downtown Evergreen and HearthFire Books and Treats in Bergen Park.